Hello, Love You, Goodbye
by Mistress Aya
Summary: Ryo dreams of a beautiful, mysterious girl. He thinks nothing of the dream though, until one day he encounters a strange, mute girl with amnesia.
1. Prologue

**Hello, Love You, Goodbye**

**Prologue**

"_Ryo…Ryo…"_

_Ryo opened his eyes. He slowly sat up as he looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was sitting on the ground of a beautiful kingdom made of crystal. A galaxy of stars surrounded the kingdom. It was like no other place he had ever seen before._

"_Where am I?" he murmured._

"_Ryo," the voice called to him again. _

_He looked up and caught the gaze of a beautiful girl standing before him. Dressed in all white with a silver moon on her forehead, she had the most amazing blue eyes, other than his own, that he had ever seen. He gazed into them like pools of water, as sparkly blue as the ocean. _

_She extended an arm to him._

_Ryo slowly reached for her hand, but before he could grasp it…_

Ryo shot up in bed. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and along his bare chest and back. He ran a hand through his black hair. It was just a dream. But it felt so real.

Ryo fell back down onto his pillow. He closed his eyes. All he could see was her blue eyes staring back at him again. Who was the mysterious girl, and how did she know him? Would he ever see her again?

After a minute or two, he slowly drifted back to sleep.


	2. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

**Chapter 1- The Girl Who Fell From the Sky**

"Lovely day out, isn't it?"

Ryo nodded his head in agreement with Makiyo as he rowed their boat down the lake.

It was a mildly sunny afternoon. Not too hot, but perfect weather for a day out.

In fact, Makiyo was the one who suggested they go out on the lake. She loved nature, as he had noticed. And aside from being very easy to talk to, she made him feel comfortable unlike most girls. This was a good thing, because Ryo wasn't exactly the most charming person to talk to. In fact, he felt awkward in most social situations. If it wasn't for being prodded by his friends Sage, Kento, Rowen, and Cye, he would have never gone out with Makiyo who first asked him out after meeting at a mall two weeks ago.

"Oh, I love it out here," Makiyo said. "It's beautiful, peaceful, and serene."

Ryo looked up at the clear blue sky and noticed a flock of birds flying overhead. He stared at them for the longest time.

"What are you thinking?" Makiyo finally asked him.

Ryo looked down at her. "Uh…" he scratched the back of his head, feeling a little uneasy about her question. "Nothing," he said grabbing both oars as he continued to row. "Look, there's a black-crowned night heron," he said, pointing at a bird by the lake.

"I know you well enough to know that something's on your mind, when you change the subject," Makiyo said with a smile.

Ryo stared at her for a moment. "Really? So, I'm that obvious, huh?"

Makiyo nodded.

"Well, then I sincerely apologize for changing the subject," he said with a wry smile. "I was just thinking…" he began.

The truth was Ryo couldn't shake this weird feeling he kept having that something was going to happen. What it was, he did not know. He didn't know how to tell Makiyo and the rest of his friends about it. What was he supposed to say? They had defeated Talpa, the evil emperor of the Dynasty realm, and all their other enemies. Would he tell them that something else was coming?

"What is it?" Makiyo asked.

Ryo looked down at Makiyo. He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly he looked up and noticed something.

"Do you see that?" he pointed towards the sky.

"See what?" Makiyo asked.

"That," he said turning Makiyo in the direction of the phenomenon he saw.

They both looked up and saw what looked like a bright ball of light coming down from the sky east of the lake. Was it a comet, or, a shooting star? What could it have been?

The object finally landed near the forest, causing a loud explosion. Birds and animals everywhere began to fly and run away startled by the sound the object made when it landed.

Makiyo turned toward Ryo. "What was that?" she asked him. Her eyes widened with fear. She was obviously shaken up from what just occurred.

"I don't know," Ryo said. He was just as confounded as she was. "But I'm going to find out." He gripped both oars and rowed their boat toward the edge of the lake. Once they made it, he hurriedly got out.

"Ryo, wait!" Makiyo called after him.

"Stay here," he told her. "It could be dangerous."

"Be careful!" She told him.

Ryo ignored her plea as he quickly ran towards the forest. He was the type to always run head first into a situation before analyzing it. This situation was no different.

"_What was that thing?" _he thought. His mind went back to the weird feeling he had been having for the past few days. And now, whatever it was, it was finally here. _"Is it the Dynasty?"_ he wondered, grabbing his orb from his pocket, ready to transform into his armor.

As he neared the location of the explosion he stopped. There was a pit in the ground, caused from the explosion. It was about five feet wide and four feet deep. As Ryo cautiously neared toward the opening, he peered inside and saw what looked like a body sprawled down in the pit.

Ryo's first instinct was to jump down into the pit and save the person. As he jumped down, he carefully picked up the limp, motionless body and carried it over his shoulder. Once he made it out of the pit, he laid the body down onto the ground.

To his surprise it was a girl. She had long blonde hair shaped like "meatballs" and she wore a white and blue sailor outfit with one red bow on her chest and another on her back. Her hands were covered in white gloves, a red choker with a gold crescent moon was secured around her neck, and a golden tiara with a red jewel was adorned across her forehead. To top it all off she was wearing tall red boots.

Ryo began to check for a pulse. Pressing his fingers against her neck near her carotid artery, he could faintly feel that she was still breathing.

"She's alive," he said, staring at the unconscious girl.

But who on Earth was she? Where did she come from? Was she the one who caused the explosion? And if so, how?

So many questions circled in his brain as he stared at the mysterious girl who fell from the sky.


	3. Remember Me?

**Chapter 2- Remember Me?**

Makiyo could see Ryo coming back to her in the distance, and in his arms he was carrying something that looked too large to be a dog.

Once Ryo was a few feet away, she ran toward him.

"Ryo," she began. She looked down at the girl he carried in his arms. "What's this?" she asked.

"I found her in a pit that I think was caused by the explosion we saw," Ryo explained.

"Who is she?" Makiyo asked.

"I don't know, but we gotta get her help," Ryo said.

Makiyo looked down at her phone. "My cell phone has no service out here."

"Looks like we gotta drive to the hospital then. Come on," he told Makiyo as he carried the mysterious girl over to the boat.

* * *

Roughly about an hour later, Ryo and Makiyo made it to the hospital in Mia's Jeep with the strange girl Ryo found by the lake near the forest.

Ryo couldn't stop thinking about all that happened. First, the weird feelings, then the explosion, then the mysterious girl in the sailor outfit. Moreover Ryo wanted to know who on Earth she was and where was she from. If the girl was the cause of the explosion then how was it possible? How could she just fall from the sky? Did the explosion happen from another realm? Was the girl from whichever realm the explosion came from?

Ryo and Makiyo were sitting in the waiting room when a doctor arrived. Ryo quickly stood up as the doctor approached them.

"Is she all right?" Ryo asked him.

"She's in critical condition," the doctor explained. "She's still unconscious, but for the moment, we're trying to keep her breathing stable and make sure she gets enough oxygen to her brain to prevent blood clots. Do you know her?"

Ryo and Makiyo looked at each other.

"See, that's the thing doctor," Makiyo answered as she stood up. "We don't know her, or where she's from."

Ryo nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing you found her when you did," the doctor said.

"Can we see her?" Ryo asked.

"Sorry, but no visitors are allowed at this moment," the doctor said. "But I can assure you that she's in good hands."

Ryo sighed. "Okay."

The doctor walked away.

Ryo and Makiyo sat back down.

"That poor girl," Makiyo said.

"If we wouldn't have witnessed the explosion, who knows what would have happened to her," Ryo said.

Makiyo nodded in agreement.

"I need to talk to her," Ryo said.

Makiyo looked at Ryo with a look of curiosity. "Why?"

"I don't know," Ryo said. "Maybe find out where she's from, and who her family is so we can contact them."

The real reason Ryo wanted to talk to the girl was to see if she knew anything about the Dynasty and the Netherworld. If she was from another realm, was she a friend or foe? Could she be an enemy, or, a trusted ally for the Ronin Warriors?

Makiyo looked at Ryo. She reached for his hand and held it in her own. "I know that you're worried about that girl, but we should go home and get some rest. And maybe when she wakes up later, we'll ask."

"I'm staying here," Ryo said stubbornly. "I'll be fine. But you can go home if you wish."

Makiyo paused for a long moment. Then she shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving without you."

Ryo looked at her with astonishment. At first he thought of asking her why. But after looking into her eyes and seeing how strong willed and determined she was to stay with him, he knew that he couldn't tell her to leave.

"Okay," he finally said.

* * *

"You're at the hospital?" Mia asked over the phone later that evening. She was sitting on the couch in the living room of her large mansion which she had inherited from her grandfather after his passing. "A strange girl in a sailor outfit?" she asked again. "No, I don't think my grandfather's research covered anything about an explosion by the lake or girls in sailor clothes, but I can look and see…

"Is that Ryo?" Kento asked, entering the room.

Mia nodded.

"Where on Earth is he!?" Kento asked before Mia put a finger over her lips, motioning for Kento to be quiet.

"Makiyo's with you too?" Mia continued to ask. "Okay, well, let us know what happens if the girl wakes up. I'll tell you later what I've found. Goodbye."

Mia hung up the cell phone. By this time, Sage, Cye, and Rowen had entered the room.

"Ryo discovered something?" Sage asked, having heard the tail end of Mia's conversation.

Mia nodded. "There was a strange explosion by the lake where he and Makiyo were. Ryo discovered a girl dressed in a sailor outfit lying unconscious in a pit."

"A girl?" Cye asked. "Do you know where she's from?"

Mia shook her head. "Ryo thinks she was the one who caused the explosion. She could be from another realm, but we don't know yet. She's in the hospital in critical condition."

"Girls falling from the sky…what's this world come to?" Rowen asked.

"Well, we wouldn't be the Ronin Warriors without some kind of mystery happening," Sage said.

"I'm going to go check and see what I can find," Mia said.

"I'll help you," Sage said. "Who's gonna check the area of the explosion?"

"I'll do it," Kento said.

"I'll go with you," Cye said.

"And I'll stay here in case Ryo calls back," Rowen said.

"Sounds like a plan," Sage said.

* * *

_Ryo woke up. He was lying down somewhere in a field surrounded by beautiful flowers. A starlit sky stood before him. The stars shone so bright and were so close it was almost as if he could reach out and touch one of them…_

_The scenery around him was beautiful. Never had grass been greener, or flowers more fragrant than the ones that surrounded him in the field. _

_He slowly stood up and walked over toward a beautiful lake. The water looked so clear. He looked down into the water like it was a mirror, staring at his own reflection. Suddenly, Ryo noticed something behind him._

_He quickly turned around and pulled out his two katana swords from the back of his red armor that he wore. He froze._

_It was a girl wearing a long white dress, with a silver crescent moon upon her forehead. _

_Ryo slowly put his swords back as he stared at the girl before him. He was speechless. _

_The girl's eyes were sparkly blue. She stared at Ryo as her round blue eyes, bore into his._

_He took a step toward her. He felt so drawn to her, more than anything he had ever been to before._

Ryo jumped.

Makiyo's brown eyes stared back at him.

"Sorry to wake you," she said as she handed him a cup of water. "The vending machine wasn't working, so I got us some water from the cooler."

Ryo slowly sat up and took the cup of water from her. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. "What time is it?" he asked.

Makiyo sighed. "After midnight," she said.

"Did she ever wake up?" Ryo eagerly asked.

Makiyo shook her head.

Ryo sighed as he set the cup of water down on the table stand beside his chair. Makiyo sat down next to him.

"This has been some day," she said.

"I'm sorry," Ryo said.

Makiyo looked at him incredulously. "Sorry for what?"

"That our time at the lake didn't go as planned," Ryo said.

Makiyo shook her head. "I'm not upset about that. I'm just glad that we're both okay, and hopefully that girl is too."

Ryo nodded. That was what he liked about Makiyo. Aside from being smart and attractive, she was very optimistic and warm hearted. She would make a good girlfriend someday, whether or not they continued to see each other.

They had only hung out four times since meeting each other two weeks ago. They had fun each time, but Ryo wasn't sure if it could lead to something more. He always had cold feet when it came to relationships. And though, Makiyo seemed like the perfect girl, he just had this feeling that there was something else. But what?

* * *

Slowly opening her eyes, the mysterious blonde girl with "meatball" hair could hear beeping noises.

Once they were fully open, she looked to her right where she saw a machine that had a weird, squiggly line. The beeping noise that she heard was coming from that machine.

She looked around the walls of the dimly lit room wondering where she was. She looked down at herself and saw that she was lying in bed, wearing some kind of hospital gown, with intravenous medicine flowing into her veins through her right arm.

It seemed that she was in a hospital. How she got there, she did not know, and why was she there was another question. The last thing she had remembered was a blast of orange light. She winced in pain thinking about it as she held a hand up to her head.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Hi, there love," said the nurse, as she came into the room, with new bed sheets, pillows, and a bed spread. A large smile spread across her face. "I see you're finally awake."

The nurse was a tall, stout woman, dressed in a white nurse's uniform. She wore a white cap on top of her head. She quickly came over to the young girl's side and grabbed her arm.

"Here, let me help you out of bed," she said.

The girl looked taken aback as the nurse quickly sat her up and pulled her out of bed. The girl slowly stood on her small feet. She had an arm wrapped around the neck of the nurse who held her up for support.

"There you go, love," the cheerful nurse said, smiling once again, as the girl finally stood up on her own. The nurse then proceeded to change the sheets on the bed.

"We were worried about you. When that boy and that girl brought you to the hospital unconscious, the doctors didn't think you'd be able to live. And now, look at you!"

The nurse stopped and looked at the girl. "Why, you are the tiniest thing ever! Don't you go breaking hearts," she teased. "I was once your size you know…"

The nurse continued to babble on and on as the girl stood there looking puzzled.

A boy and a girl had brought her to the hospital? But who were they? Maybe they could tell her what happened to her, and why she had no recollection of anything.

* * *

Ryo sat up straight in his chair. It was a little bit after 7 o'clock. He stayed awake the rest of the night and now it was morning. But still, no news about the girl he had rescued.

Just then, he saw a tall nurse walk down the hallway. She stopped to talk to a bunch of other nurses.

"Poor thing," she doesn't remember anything," the nurse said, sadly shaking her head.

Ryo watched them, wondering what was going on, when suddenly the doctor showed up.

Ryo stood up and walked toward him. "Is she awake?"

The doctor nodded.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Yes," said the doctor.

Ryo looked over at Makiyo who was sleeping in her chair. He didn't want to wake her up, so he decided to go with the doctor alone.

As he followed the doctor down the hall, the doctor began, "I must warn you though, the patient hasn't fully recovered like we expected."

Ryo was confused. "So what does that mean?" he asked.

They made it to the room. Ryo walked in behind the doctor to see the young, blonde girl with "meatball hair" sitting up in bed, eating breakfast.

When she saw them, she stopped. She looked at the doctor first. Then she looked at Ryo.

Ryo stared at her, noticing her gorgeous blue eyes. He couldn't look away from them. They were so alluring and mesmerizing. He felt like he had seen her somewhere before.

"Don't…I know you from somewhere?" Ryo asked the girl.

The girl looked at Ryo, confused.

Ryo couldn't get over the fact that she looked so familiar to him. Her heart shaped face, round blue eyes, beautiful blonde hair albeit for the style choice and her petite frame were engrained in his brain.

Then suddenly, it all came back to him. His dream…the starry sky, the flowers, the lake, the girl dressed in white. It was her!


	4. The Girl of His Dreams

**Chapter 3- The Girl of His Dreams**

"You're the one!" Ryo exclaimed. "You're the one from my…" he trailed off.

Ryo looked at the girl who looked back at him clueless. Something seemed off. The fact that the girl hadn't spoken a word since they walked into the room was an indication.

"She doesn't remember you," the doctor told him. "In fact, she doesn't remember anything. Plus, she can't speak, probably due to the trauma she experienced from the explosion."

Ryo's heart sank at hearing the doctor's words. She couldn't possibly be the one. The girl from his dreams could talk. He heard her call his name. He looked stunned.

"This is the young man that saved your life," the doctor explained to the mute girl.

The girl nodded her head and looked back at Ryo.

Ryo, still in a state of shock, finally extended his hand to the girl. "I-I'm Ryo," he said.

The girl looked at Ryo's hand before slowly shaking it.

"I'm sorry, you…just…looked…so familiar," Ryo said, at a loss for words.

The girl gave Ryo a weak smile.

"I think we oughta let her finish eating, so she can gain some strength," the doctor said to Ryo. "It's been a rough couple of hours."

Ryo nodded at him. "Most certainly." He turned to the girl. "It was good seeing you," he said. He turned back around and left.

Ryo looked disappointed as he exited the room. The dreams that he had been having the past few days all came back to him when he saw her blue eyes. He thought he solved the piece to the puzzle and that somehow his dreams would tell him who she was. But it didn't.

The girl was a mute amnesiac. She couldn't tell him who she was much less where she was from. He couldn't believe he made an idiot of himself. She probably thought he was a lunatic yelling, "You're the one!"

"What's going to happen to her?" Ryo asked the doctor.

"Well, first, we want to run a few diagnostic tests to see if she's completely healthy. Then we'll let her go," he said.

"Let her go?" Ryo asked. "You're discharging her from the hospital today?"

"As soon as we can get finished with those tests," he replied.

"But what about her family? Does she have anywhere to go?" Ryo asked.

"As far as we know, she doesn't," the doctor said. "If no one claims her by this afternoon we'll have to turn her over to social services."

Ryo began to wonder, about what would happen to the girl. She was alone, as far as he was concerned, and had no memories of her past. Where would she go? Who would take care of her? And how would she make it on her own?

* * *

Later that day, after a morning filled with several tests, the girl sat on her bed staring at the wall. She thought about the young man who came to see her that morning.

"_Ryo," _she thought. That was his name. Ryo. It didn't ring a bell. She was completely clueless as to who he was.

She looked over at her bed stand. There was a locket sitting on the stand. She slowly reached for the locket and opened it. Inside was a crystal.

She stared at the crystal in amazement. Was it hers?

The door opened. The tall, stout nurse walked into the room carrying a small duffel bag. She saw the young lady with the locket.

"It was the only thing that you came with," the nurse explained. "When we removed it, those sailor clothes you had on disappeared out of thin air! Now, I've seen some crazy stuff, but nothing like that…" the nurse droned on. "But luckily, your friends brought you an extra change of clothes." She held up the duffel bag.

Friends? The girl was confused. She didn't have any friends…at least none that she knew of.

The girl set aside the locket as she took the duffel bag from the nurse and looked inside. There was a yellow sundress and a pair of flats inside.

The nurse smiled. "They said they know you from school. Isn't that awfully nice of them?"

The girl ignored her as she held up the yellow sundress inspecting it.

"I'll go get your papers, love, while you go ahead and change," the nurse told her. "The doctor said that once you sign them, you and your friends are free to leave." She left the room.

The girl held the dress up to her body. At least they knew her size.

* * *

"What's taking them so long? I'm hungry." Kento said in the waiting room.

"Kento, you're always hungry," Cye said holding balloons and a teddy bear.

"I hope the clothes I picked out for her fit," Mia said worriedly.

"Thanks again Mia, for allowing her to stay with us," Ryo said.

After he had taken Makiyo home, Ryo rushed to the mansion to tell Mia and the guys about the mute girl's situation. Whether she was from another realm or not, they felt that bringing the girl home with them and letting her stay with them, at least until she gained back her memories, only seemed fitting.

"Sure thing," Mia said. "I know that poor girl must feel so confused about everything."

"Imagine how confused she'll feel when she sees Kento's appetite," Rowen joked.

They all laughed, much to Kento's chagrin.

Suddenly, the nurse came around the corner with the girl. She had on the strapless yellow sundress that Mia picked out for her, and a pair of flats. Her hair was styled the same way it had been when Ryo had rescued her.

"Is it just me, or does that girl's hair look like meatba—" Kento began.

Ryo quickly nudged him as he stared at the petite, blonde girl. The yellow dress had fit her perfectly.

"These are for you," Cye said, giving the girl the balloons and teddy bear he was carrying. "I'm Cye."

"Sage," Sage said.

"Kento." Kento waved his hand.

"I'm Rowen," Rowen said.

"I'm Mia."

"And we've already met," Ryo said. "But in case you've forgotten my name's Ryo."

The girl stared at all of them.

There was silence.

"Awwwkwaaaard," Kento mumbled.

"You'll be staying with us," Mia explained to the girl as she wrapped an arm around her. "And I'm so glad your dress fits. I picked it out for you."

The girl was glad that Mia told her that she picked out the dress and shoes and not the guys. Now that would have been awkward.


	5. Hello, Love

**Chapter 4 – Hello, Love**

"So, this is where you're gonna be sleeping," Ryo said, giving the girl a tour of the mansion while everyone waited downstairs. He was carrying the girl's stuffed teddy bear and balloons as he led her up the staircase of the mansion.

The girl followed Ryo in amazement. When Mia said she would be staying with them, she didn't expect the house would be so… big. She couldn't believe her luck. She woke up that morning in a hospital with no memories whatsoever and unable to speak. After the doctor discharged her she had no place to go. And now she was going to be staying in a wonderful mansion outside the city with complete strangers. It almost seemed so surreal to her.

Ryo opened one of the doors in the long hallway and stepped aside, so that the she could enter into the room.

The girl entered into the room and saw that it was an ordinary bedroom with a single bed, two dressers, a bedside table and a vanity all made of cherry wood. The window in the room was covered with white curtains which matched the bedding, and a lamp and an alarm clock sat on the bedside table.

"Sorry, there's not really much in here…it's the guest bedroom which no one really uses," Ryo explained. "But you're welcome to move stuff around if you like…to make it less boring and more comfortable for you."

The girl turned around in a slow circle so she could fully examine her surroundings.

Ryo stared at the girl. It was so hard to gauge what she was thinking at that moment. Did she like the room? Did she hate it? What was going on in her mind?

After a few minutes had passed, he finally spoke again.

"I'm just gonna give you some time alone," he said. He laid the teddy bear down on the bed and released the balloons in a corner of the room. "If you need anything, just let me know. My bedroom is the next room over on your right."

The girl nodded. As he left the room, she walked toward the bed and sat down. First of all, she couldn't believe that the five guys and young woman who brought her home from the hospital would be so nice as to let her live with them. Who exactly were these people?

Second, she had to figure out what happened to her to cause her to lose her memories. All she knew so far was what she gathered from the doctor and the nurses. They told her that the young man named Ryo and a girl he was with had rescued her after there was an explosion by the lake. And she appeared to be wearing "sailor clothes" which had disappeared after they removed the locket she was wearing.

The girl looked down at the locket she clutched in her hands. She opened the locket once more and stared at the crystal inside. It was beautiful. She must have gotten the locket from somewhere really nice. Or maybe it was a gift from someone. How else could she have owned such a thing?

* * *

"Maybe she's an alien from outer space," Kento said, eating from a bag of chips as he, Mia, and the guys all sat in the living room discussing the blonde girl.

"But we didn't find a space ship or anything when we searched the lake," Cye said, referring to his and Kento's excursion by the explosion site yesterday after Ryo and Makiyo found the girl.

"She must have hid it somewhere. Aliens can't leave behind any evidence that there is life on other planets," Kento insisted.

"And you know this because…" Sage began.

"Don't you read comic books?" Kento asked.

"Of course you guys didn't find her space ship then," Rowen said. "Because it's invisible!"

He, Ryo, Cye, and Sage and Mia all snickered while Kento looked peeved.

"Joke all you want Rowen," Kento said, "but when her alien friends come here looking for her, don't say I didn't warn you guys."

"On a more serious note," Mia began, "Sage and I did a little digging and we didn't find anything about an explosion or about girls dressed in sailor attire."

"So, right now, we have nothing?" Ryo asked.

"Nothing," said Sage.

Ryo folded his arms. Great. They had no leads to help them figure out who the girl was, except that she was part of the explosion he and Makiyo saw, and she was dressed in a sailor uniform. It didn't help that the girl had amnesia and couldn't talk. How on Earth were they supposed to help her find her home if they couldn't?

"Well, she can't be an alien," Cye said. "She looks every bit of human to me."

"Plus, the doctors probably would have found abnormalities in her internal structure, like her brain, heart and blood cells if she was an alien," Rowen said.

"I don't think she's from the Netherworld either," Mia said. "Kayura would have warned us about her."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Kento asked. "Let her stay with us until she gets her memories back?"

"That seems like the plan," Sage said.

"But how do we—" Kento began.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of small footsteps coming from the staircase. They all looked up and saw the blonde haired girl walking down. Kento and the rest of the crew immediately grew silent as she made it to the end of the staircase and approached them.

Mia spoke up first. "Are you okay? Are you finding everything alright?" she asked.

The girl nodded.

"Here, you can have my seat," Cye said standing up as he allowed the girl to sit in his spot on the couch next to Ryo.

The girl sat down. Ryo watched as she slowly brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. The yellow sundress really went well with her golden blonde hair, plus it added warmth to her pale, creamy colored complexion.

The girl turned her heard in Ryo's direction.

Ryo quickly, looked away. He didn't want the girl to catch him staring at her. She would have thought he was even more weird than the way he acted at the hospital.

"So, are you hungry?" Mia asked again.

The girl shook her head, but just as she did, her stomach loudly growled.

Everyone in the room chuckled, except for the girl who turned red with embarrassment.

"It's okay. You have nothing to be embarrassed about," Mia said. "I live with five guys. I've heard much worse."

"Gee, thanks Mia," Rowen said sarcastically.

Just then, Whiteblaze bounded into the room.

Startled at seeing the giant white tiger, the girl quickly jumped from her seat and backed into a corner of the room.

Whiteblaze walked toward the frightened girl, trying to sniff her when suddenly Ryo called him.

"Whiteblaze!" he said.

Whiteblaze turned in Ryo's direction, then slowly, but reluctantly, walked away from the girl.

"Good boy," Ryo said as he knelt down and rubbed the tiger's fur.

The tiger thoroughly enjoyed the rub as he licked Ryo's face.

The girl stood in a corner of the room with her eyes closed. Her left hand was balled into a fist which she had placed over her chest.

Ryo looked at how scared she was. When Whiteblaze noticed that he didn't have Ryo's full attention, he stopped licking him and turned and looked back at the girl.

"He won't bite," Ryo calmly said to the girl standing in the corner.

The girl slowly opened one eye and saw Whiteblaze sitting on the floor next to Ryo. She then opened both eyes. She was shocked and amazed at how calm and subdued the tiger was, sitting next to him.

"Come over and pet him," Ryo said.

The girl shook her head.

"He won't bite, see," Rowen said as he walked over and stroked the tiger's fur. Sage then stood up and pet the tiger, and Kento and Cye followed while Mia watched on.

The girl looked stunned as she stood in the corner watching them. She couldn't believe they had a large white tiger for a pet, and that they all surrounded him, petting and touching him as if he wouldn't attack them.

Whiteblaze lowered his head onto the ground as his eyes looked up at the girl, who stood fearful of him in the corner of the room.

Finally, the girl thought, why not? If they all weren't afraid of the tiger, then she shouldn't be either.

The girl slowly walked towards the tiger.

Whiteblaze jumped up as she approached him.

As the girl drew nearer, she stretched forth her hand to pet the tiger.

Ryo held Whiteblaze as the girl's small hand pet the top of Whiteblaze's head.

Whiteblaze raised his head and began to lick the girl's hand. She quickly drew her hand back as Ryo laughed.

"See, we told you he wouldn't bite. He's a big 'ol softie."

Whiteblaze walked toward the girl and sniffed her. Deciding that he liked her, he jumped up and started licking the girl's face.

Ryo and everyone laughed.

Taken by surprise, the girl didn't know what to do as the tiger began licking her face. Finally, she smiled as she began to ruffle the tiger's fur.

Ryo watched as she knelt down and nuzzled Whiteblaze. He smiled at them. It wasn't everyday that a girl, or, any individual for that matter, could warm up to the idea that he had a white tiger. Most would be too scared to even pet the tiger…but the girl overcame her fear and did just that. And Whiteblaze seemed to like her right back, which was remarkable.

Then suddenly, he came to a realization.

"You know something," Ryo said. "I feel bad for not knowing your name."

The girl said nothing as she gently stroked the tiger's fur.

Kento had an idea. "Why don't we come up with a name for her then?"

They all looked at the girl who nodded her head with excitement.

"Rachel," Rowen said.

The girl shook her head.

"Tina," said Ryo.

The girl shook her head again.

"How about Laura?" Mia said.

"No, you guys are all wrong," Sage said. "She's definitely a Chloe."

The girl made a face.

Sage laughed. "Okay, maybe not."

"Tiffany," said Kento.

"Rapunzel," Rowen joked.

The girl shook her head at both names.

Suddenly, the girl remembered that when she was at the hospital, her nurse called her _love. _It seemed unusual to her at first as to why the woman called her that, but she liked the name. It kind of grew on her.

"How about Michelle?" Cye asked.

She shook her head.

"Nicole," Sage said.

The girl shook her head again.

"Geez, how are we going to figure out a name that she likes?" Ryo said.

"Don't worry. It couldn't be that hard to pick out a name for a girl," Kento said.

"Oh, really?" Mia folded her arms. "I would just love to figure out what other names you guys have in mind then."

Suddenly, the girls' eyes lit up. When she heard the word _love _she stood and looked up at Mia.

Mia stared at the girl in a bit of concern. "What's the matter? Was it something I said?"

The girl nodded.

"But all I said was I would just love…"

The girl nodded her head excitedly.

Everyone turned and looked at each other confused.

"Love? You want your name to be love?" Rowen finally asked.

The girl smiled and nodded again.

"See, I don't think you understand…" Kento began to the girl before Mia and the others quickly pulled him off to the side.

"Kento, if that's what she wants her name to be, then let her have what she wants," Cye told him in a low tone.

Mia and the rest of the guys agreed.

Kento sighed. "Fine." He threw up his hands.

Ryo felt a little reluctant about calling the girl Love. No doubt, it was a very unusual name. But if she liked it, then he resigned himself to liking it as well.

They all turned to face the girl who curiously watched them.

"Love is a very pretty name," Mia said to her with a smile. "And we'd love to have you in our home. Welcome to the family."

The girl smiled as they all gave her one big group hug. Suddenly, they heard a stomach growl.

Mia laughed. "Guess it's time to cook dinner."


End file.
